Do cats see ghost cats, or is this a coincidence?

[montanto]

A year ago this week my beautiful cat Sid Vicious died suddenly for no apparent reason. He was only ten years old. I trapped him as a kitten and tamed him. When he was small he used to get into all kinds of messy stuff--rats, mice, roaches, and once, he put a live baby possum in our bedroom. He was a hunter. After these events I always gave him a flea bath, which he hated.

Later he became fascinated with water and would wait on the bathroom counter by the sink for me to come and rub water on his head. If he knew I would be up at 6am, he'd be there at 5am. He also wanted to drink from he tap.

He died on the spot where he usually jumped up, with his head toward the counter.

His brother cat, whose name is "Little Puss," because he weighs 20 pounds, was his best friend. They would tear the fur out of each other one minute, and the next be standing shoulder to shoulder on the lawn. If you saw one, the other was surely no further away than ten feet.

Little is no hunter. I once saw him standing on the tail of a mouse and he was still looking for it! He is a big talker though. If he's been outside for more than five minutes he comes in the house yelling "I WENT OUTSIDE, I WENT OUTSIDE, ITS ME, I CAME BACK, WHAT ARE YOU DOING???, IS THAT FOOD???, CAN I EAT THAT???. If I'm downstairs on the computer invariably he comes thundering down the stairs like a loose cannonball, bursts into the room yelling about his adventures outside "I WAS OUTSIDE, DID YOU MISS ME, I'M BACK, I'M DOWN HERE, PET THE CAT OR I'LL STOMP ON YOUR CLICKY-CLICKY THING THAT YOU LOVE MORE THAN ME, HEY, CAN YOU HEEEAAAAR MEEEEE???."

But this time that didn't happen.

There was the thunder of a loose cannonball, then silence. I was busy on the computer and didn't notice at first, then the silence sunk in. Something odd. I'll go check. The other bedroom door didn't bang open like it does when he goes in there, so I knew he hadn't gone that way. I looked in the bathroom. He was crouched beside the tub. I think, "I've never seen him hang out in the bathroom unless someone was in there." He offered a whispered "meow." Also odd. He looked to his left. I walked past him, all the way into the bathroom. There, on the exact spot where Sid had died, was a dead bird.
The first thing Little has ever caught.

R.I.P. Sid, I love you, I miss you, and you brother sends you a gift.

[City of Mills]

1. Such a nice tribute

By both Little Puss, and you. Sorry about your loss of Mr. Vicious. For the record, I believe cats see what we don't see.

[montanto]

5. Thanks, and I believe they've got senses

we can't understand.

[Silver Swan]

2. What a nice story.

Many years ago we adopted two kittens from a local shelter. Unfortunately, a year later the one we had named Prissy died of feline infectious peritonitis.

After that, whenever we found the other cat in a strange place--often on top of a bookcase or even a door--we would say she was looking for Prissy's ghost.

(Of course, now with LOL cats, I think that it may have been that she was looking for ceiling cat!)

[montanto]

6. Thank you.

Sorry for your loss. It's always hard to part with these friends.

Sid used to just all of a sudden burst through the house, jumping and dodging and running over furniture, rolling on the floor, clawing the air, and then just as suddenly stop and lick his paw.

We called that "ghost kitty" or "Stormy's ghost" (a cat we lost ten years ago).

[MorningGlow]

3. Awwww! How sweet!

Little misses his brother. That is SO cute.

And yes, I do believe animals can see ghosts. The last time I visited England (many years ago--like, 15 or so), my friends and I spent a few days in York. On our first day there, we HAD to have lunch at The Star Inn, because the guidebook said it had a "ghost car." A wha...?

The place was packed so, having nothing better to do, we waited for the lunchtime crowd to die down, then we approached the bartender and asked him about it. He said it had to be a typo, because he'd never heard of a ghost car, but they had a ghost CAT. Or something. He said that when the place was closed, the owner's dog tended to race through the place at full tilt, looking for all the world like he was chasing something, but there was never anything in front of him. He'd run so furiously that he'd run smack into the wall. (Nope, no mouse holes either.) So they were just guessing that it was a cat. But he sure was chasing SOMEthing.
:rofl:

[montanto]

7. Thank you, and

I posted a similar reply upthread about the ghost cat that would chase Sid through the house.

[bertha katzenengel]

4. I believe in cat ghosts.

:hug: to you.

[montanto]

8. Thank you. so sweet!

[driver8]

9. That is a pretty amazing story!

Kind of makes you wonder, doesn't it?

I loved your descriptions of your cats...such personalities!!

[montanto]

11. It was startling, and thank you.

He could have left it by the door, in the kitchen, outside in the yard, in my bed, but no, precisely on his brother's grave, within 3 or 4 days of anniversary, in a place he never goes without company.

Weird! Uncanny.

[MadrasT]

10. Awwww...

Thanks for sharing that story. I have a whole herd of the little wildabeests myself. They are all special, unique little creatures. :hug:

[montanto]

13. Thanks. Now I'm Little's brother and he won't stop

following me. When he walks between my legs when I walk it's like trying to play soccer with a medicine ball.

[Zuiderelle]

12. That's a really beautiful little story.

[montanto]

14. Thank you so much.

I had wanted to pay tribute to him here earlier, but hesitated, then this uncanny thing happened. I had to share it.